Zwischenzug: Why Prompting Is Losing Its Opening Advantage

The initial prompt is losing its power as the primary driver of successful AI interactions. According to a Forbes Tech Council article published July 7, 2026, the real value now lies in what happens after the model's first response—a concept borrowed from chess called Zwischenzug, or the intermediate move. The piece argues that prompting is just the opening move in a longer, more strategic game; users who simply input a query and accept the first output are missing the true competitive advantage. The article defines Zwischenzug in the AI context as any step inserted between the model's output and the user's acceptance of it—such as asking clarifying questions, requesting refinements, or chaining multiple prompts into a structured dialogue. This insight challenges the widespread belief that prompt engineering alone can guarantee high-quality results. As large language models become more capable and contextual, the skill that matters most is iterative interaction, not one-shot prompting. The Forbes article draws an analogy to chess openings: a strong opening (a good initial prompt) can set the stage, but the game is won or lost in the middle game—the moves that respond to the opponent's (or in this case, the model's) actions. The author of the Forbes piece, likely a member of the Forbes Technology Council, bases the argument on observations of advanced users and enterprise deployments where multi-step workflows consistently outperform single queries. For businesses, this means moving away from treating prompts as fixed inputs and instead designing feedback loops into their AI usage. The broader implication is that the era of prompt engineering as a standalone discipline is giving way to a new practice of AI orchestration—where humans and models collaborate through ongoing exchanges. Looking ahead, the article suggests that the next wave of AI tools will automate these intermediate moves, creating agents that use Zwischenzug-like tactics by default. Users who master the art of the intermediate move—asking better follow-ups, breaking complex requests into sub-tasks, and iterating on responses—will extract significantly more value from generative AI. The shift also has implications for AI training, as models are increasingly designed to handle sustained interactions rather than isolated queries. In essence, the Forbes piece signals that the opening advantage of prompting is disappearing, and the winners will be those who embrace the entire game.